State leaders urge support of Cooperative Program

Louisiana Baptist leaders were urged to commit themselves to
support of the Cooperative Program last week – especially in light of a
possibly troubling trend in giving.

After several years of increased – and record giving –
in the state, state Cooperative Program gifts are down in 2001.

Louisiana Baptist leaders were urged to commit themselves to
support of the Cooperative Program last week – especially in light of a
possibly troubling trend in giving.

After several years of increased – and record giving –
in the state, state Cooperative Program gifts are down in 2001.

“Is this a trend?” Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive
Director Dean Doster at last weeks Executive Board meeting at Tall Timbers
Baptist Conference Center in Woodworth. “Is there more of this to come?
I simply do not have the answer. …

“Im not alarmed at this point, nor do I seek to
raise alarm,” he emphasized. “But I think we should all be concerned.”

Doster noted that if the current trend continues, Louisiana
Baptists will fail to meet their annual budget.

He also pointed out that a survey of figures shows 556 churches
gave less through the state Cooperative Program in 2000 than they gave in 1999.
That represents about one-third of all Louisiana Baptist churches, he pointed
out.

In addition, 337 of those churches decreased giving by more
than 10 percent.

Doster urged persons to focus on the Cooperative Program as
a means of fulfilling the Great Commission charge to reach the world with the
gospel.

“The Cooperative Program became the expression and identity
for Southern Baptist missions in 1925 and remains so today, …” he said.
“Lets all personally commit ourselves to our common purpose of equal
sacrifice for cooperative missions. Lets encourage our churches to do
the same.”

Along those lines, board members later adopted a proposal from
a special Cooperative Program study committee.

The report from the subcommittee was adopted without discussion
or dissent.

It notes that Louisiana Baptist churches gave an average of
5.8 percent of their undesignated gifts through the state Cooperative Program
last year. That is below the 7.8 percent average given by Southern Baptist churches
and well below the 9.5 percent average given by churches in bordering states.
Indeed, raising Louisiana to the national average would mean an additional $7.4
million given in the state.

The subcommittee report insists the way to change those numbers
is to make sure convention leaders are committed to the Cooperative Program.

At the same time, subcommittee members declined to set a minimum
percentage of giving that those who hold places of convention leadership must
exhibit. Doing so would turn the issue into a political one and could decrease
giving in churches that already exceed the national level, they said.

Instead, Executive Board members requested the state Committee
on Nominations to propose persons as trustees and committee members who “have
shown enthusiastic, exemplary support for missions by giving through the Cooperative
Program.”

It suggested four approaches:

That persons being considered for a place of leadership
be interviewed as to their concept of the Cooperative Program.

That propsective leaders be asked to share their personal
commitment to the Cooperative Program.

That persons be asked – “The Business Office
of the Louisiana Baptist Convention reported that last year your church gave
$ ____. What percentage of undesignated gifts does this figure represent?”

That persons be asked to explain how the giving percentage
reflects their churchs commitment to the Cooperative Program.

In other action during the meeting, board members unanimously
elected a new state Womans Missionary Union director.

Members elected Angelia Carpenter to the post. She is to assume
responsibilities in July, succeeding Nelda Seal, who currently serves as director
of the state Womens Missions and Ministries Division.

Among other things, Carpenter has served as state Womans
Missionary Union president in Iowa. She was nominated by a search committee
that considered 13 resumes and interviewed three candidates.

(The Baptist Message will publish a profile of Carpenter in
a later issue)

In other action, Executive Board members also approved the
employment of four other convention staff members. They are:

Gary Mitchell, who will serve as state director of bivocational
ministries.

Charles Wesley, who will serve as director of missions
for the Bayou Macon and Madison Baptist associations.

Randy Hales, who will serve as director of missions
for the Bienville and Webster-Claiborne Baptist associations.

Tim Stewart, who will serve as Baptist Campus Ministries
director at Louisiana College in Pineville.

In addition, board members adopted a response regarding a situation
between two South Louisiana churches.

In 1995, Pastor Jerry Moser and members of Bayou DuLarge Baptist
Mission Church confronted then-Southern Baptist Home Mission Board President
Larry Lewis during a missions rally at the church.

The confrontation came after Lewis had signed a “Catholics
and Evangelicals Together” document that Moser said represented heresy
because it embraced Catholic doctrine and undermined evangelism.

Moser subsequently was fired as pastor of the mission by Christ
Baptist Church in Houma, the sponsoring congregation. Then-Pastor Lynn Fontenot
said dismissal came after a history of insubordination, climaxed by the confrontation
of Lewis.

However, after losing their building, the Bayou DuLarge congregation
continued to meet in homes – with Moser as pastor.

Weeks later, Christ Baptist Church members then voted to move
another congregation into the mission building. That action came after the non-Baptist
congregation agreed to embrace the Baptist Faith and Message statement and join
the convention. That congregation since has disbanded, leaving the mission building
vacant.

However, Moser has continued to assert that the mission building
and money intended for the congregation rightfully belongs to Bayou DuLarge
Baptist Church.

He recently wrote a letter to state leaders, alleging the misuse
of missions money and claiming that Christ Baptist Church improperly confiscated
the property and funds.

He claimed state convention leaders have not followed established
procedures related to mission financing and that continuing “public deception”
has damaged the Bayou DuLarge congregations witness.

Executive Board members responded last week by adopting a five-point
statement without discussion or dissent. It reads:

“2. It is the intent of the Executive Board and its employees
to always help and not hurt our churches and missions.

“3. We believe, in the attempt to help the work at Bayou
DuLarge, hurt has occurred.

“4. We apologize and ask forgiveness from Bayou DuLarge
Baptist Church and Christ Baptist Church for any hindrance, actual or perceived,
by the LBC Executive Board or its employees.

“5. We appeal to Christ Baptist Church and Bayou DuLarge
Baptist Church, as brothers and sisters in Christ, to resolve the differences
between you in brotherly love and godly wisdom so that the witness of Christ
will not come under disrepute and the advancement of the kingdom will not be
hindered.”

After the meeting, Doster applauded the way the board handled
the situation, noting that it really represents a local church matter. “We
have no authority over any church, nor would we ever attempt to have,”
he said.

Doster said he felt the board acted in a judicious manner.
“They did what they thought was best … for all those involved.”

The outcome now lies with the churches involved, Doster insisted.

Called several days later, Moser said he had not been contacted
by convention officials or received a copy of their action.

After reviewing a forwarded copy from the Baptist Message,
Moser declined substantial comment, noting his church members had not seen it
and he was not sure if Christ Baptist Church members had either.

“Therefore, it would be unwise for me to comment for our
church, other than to say that we are grateful for the efforts of the LBC Executive
Board in considering our appeal, and we will pray that this statement may help
to facilitate a godly resolution to this situation, …” Moser said.

“Our purpose is to seek a godly resolution according to
mutual adherence to biblical standards and to the officially established practices,
policies, and guidelines of our LBC Executive Board.”

In other actions, board members:

Declined to act on a state convention messengers
motion to consider holding an annual meeting on a Friday and Saturday as a means
of involving more laypersons. Leaders noted a Friday-Saturday convention would
create too much hardship for persons needing to return home from the meeting
in time for Sunday worship services.

Declined to propose a change to the LBC Constitution
to grant missions the same standing as established churches when it comes to
messenger representation. Currently, missions are considered part of their sponsoring
church as far as messenger representation goes. A messenger motion sought to
allow missions to send messengers to the convention on their own. However, state
leaders said last week that such a move would create a “whole lot of problems.”

Declined to alter the convention bylaws regarding board
and committee members who move churches while serving in a state post. Currently,
persons may be ineligible to continue serving if the church they move to already
has its full quota of representation. A motion from a convention messenger would
have allowed the persons to serve out their term before having to resign. Executive
Board members declined to propose such a move, noting it would affect Executive
Board representation in associations and infringe on the guidelines of state
agencies.

Approved W.D. “Step” Martin to deliver the
convention sermon at this falls state convention. Martin is pastor at
Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport. Alternate preacher is Floyd Davis, pastor
at Woodridge Baptist Church in Shreveport. Music evangelist Price Harris of
Shreveport was named as music director for the fall convention. The alternate
is Wayne Bridges, minister of music at Williams Boulevard Baptist Church in
Kenner.

Granted the state missions services permission to raise
up to $1 million to renovate the former bookstore adjacent to the Baptist Building.
Leaders plan to turn it into a state-of-the-art missions center.

Elected several persons to fill vacancies on state committees
and boards. They include: Darryl Hoychick of Pineville to the Committee on Nominations;
Mickey Bounds of Bernice, James Headrick of New Orleans, Wayne Morrow of Natchitoches
and Andy Myrick of Monroe, all to the Executive Board; Collin Wimberly of Swartz
and Rick Aultman of Mangham, both to the Louisiana College board; and Naida
Sexton of Shreveport to the Baptist Message board.

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